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In the first meeting of the season between the teams, the Celtics, playing without the suspended All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, let it be known that despite a sub-.500 record entering Monday night's game at Madison Square Garden, they are still a team to be reckoned with this season.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, Anthony, who had a miserable night shooting (6 of 26) and Garnett each were hit with technicals for pushing and jawing with one another. On several previous possessions, Anthony and Garnett had banged in the low post and barked at one another when the whistle was blown.

While neither was ejected, the exchange was a flash point for an intensely played final quarter.

For the final eight minutes, the Knicks and the Celtics traded one momentum-swinging basket for another. The crowd was on its feet for much of the quarter, and with Paul Pierce hitting key baskets and engineering the offense in place of Rondo, the Celtics prevailed, 102-96.

Afterward, Anthony immediately left the court, went past the team's security guards and into the tunnel designated for the opposing team, something he had not done all season. Inside the tunnel, a frustrated Anthony yelled and cursed at a number of Celtics, including Garnett. Anthony had to be pulled away by teammates and redirected to the Knicks' locker room.

"It's the heat of the battle," Garnett said. "Guys go back and forth. He's trying to get his team to go. I'm trying to get my team to go. Both teams are colliding. Not to mention it's the Knicks and the Celtics. That's what it is, man."

Coach Mike Woodson and Knicks players would not comment on the incident.

Pierce scored 8 of his team-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. He also made a quick pass into the paint for an assist on Avery Bradley's basket which gave the Celtics a 98-93 lead. He put the game out reach in the final minute on his signature step-back jumper over Tyson Chandler hit nothing but the net as the shot clock expired. On his way back on defense, Pierce blew a goodbye kiss to the crowd.

Anthony was not efficient; he scored 20 points but shot 2 of 10 in the fourth. J. R. Smith led the Knicks with 24 points.

The Knicks (23-11) trailed by as 80-72 with 11 minutes remaining and could never take the lead in the fourth quarter.

Even without Rondo, Coach Mike Woodson knew the Celtics were going to compete.

"They have a lot of pride in that locker room," Woodson said before the game. "They've had injuries, but Doc's teams are always well coached and they play hard every night. They might not be having the season they expected, but to me they are still one of the premier teams in the East."

The Celtics (17-17) did play with pride and they were impressive on offense without Rondo as they shot 52.7 percent from the floor. The also held the Knicks to just 16 points in the third quarter.

Unlike previous years, the Knicks have a comfortable lead over the Celtics in the Atlantic Division in the month of January. The Knicks entered the game holding a seven-game lead on the Celtics.

The absence of Rondo, the Celtics' best player, continued a trend this season for the Knicks as they have faced many opponents who were without their star. The Philadelphia 76ers played without Andrew Bynum (bruised right knee). The Dallas Mavericks did not have Dirk Nowitzki (right knee surgery) or Shawn Marion (sprained left medial collateral ligament). The New Orleans Hornets did not have Eric Gordon (sore right knee) and their top draft pick Anthony Davis (stress reaction left ankle). Even in the Knicks' first game against the Magic, Orlando was missing Jameer Nelson (groin), Al Harrington (knee surgery) and Hedo Turkoglu (left hand).

The Knicks won all of those games.

But when the final buzzer sounded, the Celtics had made a statement and Anthony was not happy.

REBOUNDS

Iman Shumpert is getting close to being cleared by the Knicks' medical staff to participate in full-contact scrimmages. The medical staff tested the strength in Shumpert's left knee Monday before the game. He is expected to be cleared later this week. "I feel like I can pretty much do everything," Shumpert said Saturday. "I'm just young and I want to play. If I feel any pain, though, I'm not going to do anything." Throughout the season, Shumpert has been rehabilitating from his left knee surgery in May. He sustained his injury last season in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs against the Miami Heat when he twisted his knee, which resulted in him collapsing to the floor as he tore the anterior cruciate ligament and the lateral meniscus.